*Trust in God's Doing

       I attended Vigil Mass today. In the Gospel reading from John 11, we heard the raising of Lazarus. When Jesus heard that Lazarus was ill, he did not go to him for two days. Then when he arrived, Lazarus had already been in the tomb for 4 days. Both sisters of Lazarus said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Nevertheless, Jesus ordered that the stone be taken away from the tomb and cried out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. Jesus knew all along that the illness of Lazarus was not to end in death, but was for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified through it.

        The important lesson here. We do not always know what God is doing, but we only need to know that he always knows what he is doing!

A Very Good Question

        If God came down from heaven to be born as one of us and then die in our place so that we might be saved and have eternal life, and we reject him, do you think that we still deserve heaven? 

A Very Good Thing

        As I age, like everyone else my physical condition deteriorates. But there is this very good thing: I am going to Jesus who is waiting for me!

Christ, the Deciding Difference

        For the last 15 days I have not been able to blog. Today I'll try to post all the messages received, but dating each by the day on which it was received. 

       For me, it was simple and crystal clear: No Christ, no hope. Since I know him, I know my sure way to eternal life. There is no greater difference anyone or anything else can possibly make to our existence.

Blessed Are the Imperfect

        For the imperfect realize that they are not qualified to judge others and that they need God who alone can make them perfect. [A note. For the next two weeks, again I won't be able to do any blogging, so please check back after April 11 for new messages. Meanwhile, pray unceasingly for the salvation of all the souls, both living and deceased. Yes, God hears and needs us ~ we can make a difference! May he bless you all.]

Fruit of Union

        When I watch some of the most talented jazz pianists play, they improvise freely, knowing exactly how they want to express themselves. I could see that they are one with the music. This reminds me that when one is in union with the Lord, he experiences the same kind of freedom, knowing exactly what God's will is and follows it with ease. In both cases, something beautiful results.

To See We Need God

        First, realize that you are imperfect, vulnerable, and helpless on your own. Then you will see that you need God. 

Eternal Joy

        All the joys we receive in our life are momentary except for the joy of or in Christ. That deep joy affects the soul and continues on into eternity, reaching its peak there. The Lord is our eternal joy!

Created by God

        Today it becomes clear to me that we are all individual beings created by God. Each of us is aware of his or her existence. You could say that we were never mass-produced, but made by hand carefully by God, one at a time. Should all billions of us become saints, there would be billions of different saints with each exhibiting his or her individuality. Cherish and be grateful for your unique existence.

*Love Makes Us Worthy

        Communion thoughts. God alone is worthy to be loved, for he is love. Because of him, all of us became worthy to be loved. 

*Taking God Seriously

        Following Jesus is serious business, for we are dealing with God. Too many people speak freely in church without restraint, especially right after Mass. True, we are not in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican where silence is maintained, but a church is a church, a sanctuary of God. Attending Mass may be likened to joining the Lord at the Last Supper where all focus was upon the Lord. God will take us seriously as we take him seriously.

Model Response to God

        Today is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. In the Gospel reading from Luke 1, after the angel Gabriel came to Mary and announced the birth of Jesus through her, she said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." The surely is a model response to God to all of us.

**God Badly Misconceived

        If you don't want to face God because you know you have offended him, you have the right kind of fear. But if you are afraid that God will lord it over you should you accept him as your Lord, you've got it all wrong, for this fear is baseless and unjustifiable. We address God as Lord out of reverence and awe. If God had wanted to domineer over us, why did he give each of us the free will in the first place? All God desires is to love and serve us. It'd be extremely foolish and unfair to conceive God otherwise.        

Jesus Forever Refreshing

        I felt great joy on my way to Mass this morning, for I was going to unite with Christ, receiving him again into my home, my heart, my whole being. It felt like I was going to see him for the very first time, for he is forever refreshing, wanting to renew us constantly. It is so good to have him and that's an understatement!

***Unbelievable Lord!

        Communion experience. This is the Lord who's going to cleanse my soul inside out to prepare me for entering heaven! It's always we say yes and he does the work. He is great because he serves us – unbelievable! 😇

*God Most Helpful

        In today's Gospel reading from Mark 12, Jesus reiterated to one of the scribes the greatest commandment: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." You wonder how you can possibly do that – it just seems hard. Where is the incentive? What's in it for me? The wonderful thing is that like anything the Lord asks of you, if you say yes and really mean it, he will help you accomplish it without expending much of your own effort and with you being rewarded with peace, joy, and freedom in the process!  

*Sinners' Predicament

        Sin is detrimental to our soul as cancer is to our physical body, but it's a lot more serious on a different level. Jesus said, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna." In a way, all sinners are teetering on the edge of a precipice. Overloaded with sins, they can easily fall off the cliff. What Christ can do is to not only remove the burden of your sins, but also pull you away from the cliff into a safety zone. There you await until the time to be transported to heaven arrives.

*What God Thinks Matters!

        After watching how the politicians vote on various issues in Congress, it's easy to see that they mostly vote to win for their party and/or to benefit themselves, not thinking about what's best for the people, let alone what God thinks. This is a tragic situation. Ordinary citizens do the same, planning everything by and for themselves ~ never mind what God thinks. God is just about the remotest thought from their mind. Of course, the reality is that only what God thinks matters; but we have replaced God with ourselves. It's way past wake-up time!

**How to Change Ourselves

        Being aware that we must change is only the beginning. To effect any change, we must know how to do it. The best, proper, and, as a matter of fact, the only effective way to make things happen is to let God do the work. As our creator he certainly can perfect us, provided that we submit ourselves to him. Again, humility works wonders. 

**How to Hear God

        Today's first reading came from Jeremiah 7. The people of those days did not obey God, nor pay heed. They walked in the hardness of their hearts and turned their backs to the Lord. History sure repeats itself to this day. God is always calling us, but we must soften my hearts to hear his voice. The only way to discover, to know, to win over God is to approach him with open humility. To "demand" God to reveal himself to you is the dead wrong approach. Have pride and you are out!

No Time for Judging Others

        We should never look down on other sinners, for we do not know if we were in their shoes, living their lives and facing their problems, we would have done better and been holier than they. We are all sinners before God, so how can I possibly think that I am a better sinner than someone when I can't even read anyone's mind or heart? And who am I to judge anyone whom God loves? Our business is to follow God with full attention on him alone.

Viewing Our Sins

        We are born sinners. Everyone is 100% responsible for his own sins; blaming others won't get you off the hook. Of course, if your sin causes others to sin also, then it becomes doubly serious. Anyway, since God hates only the sin and not the sinner, you should do so likewise. Therefore, do not debase yourself after you have sinned, but realize that you have offended the Lord and ask him for forgiveness, and he'll make you pristine again. 

*Exalting the Humble

        Communion thoughts. Before we receive the Holy Eucharist, when we say, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed," we humble ourselves. Then we receive the Holy Sacrament and we are instantly exalted by God! 

**Only Logical Goal!

      Since Christ wants us to be perfect as our heavenly Father is, we should seek to be like him. The only means of achieving this is to let God do the work. To receive this help is to be open and submissive to him, which clearly points to attaining union with God as our goal. Imitating him from a distance is not good enough – we must become one with him!

*Lesson on Forgiving Others

        The parable of the unforgiving servant from Matthew 18 was today's Gospel reading at Mass. Jesus' message was that we must always forgive others. We already know that God will forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. From this parable, we learn that once God has forgiven us, we'd better be forgiving like him. That is, if we expect to be forgiven by God, we should stop judging others – it's all about following his example. To not want to be like him is downright rebellion. 

*False Freedom

        You think that you are free when you take full control of your life, doing whatever you wish. It turns out that you won't have a say at judgment time.

*Great Way to Live

        When you live for Christ, you give all your burden for him to carry. Now you follow him with ease and in joy! 

Lenten Message

        Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me." To deny ourselves involves drinking every cup that comes our way. When we can deny ourselves fully, we are ready to accept God fully and follow him.

God to Be Enjoyed

        Communion thoughts on this Solemnity of Saint Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Lord is to be thoroughly enjoyed by us. To fully enjoy him, you must get to know him well and learn to trust in him with all your heart, knowing that he will always love you and never impose anything you are not willing to bear on you nor harm your soul. Then you can enjoy him fully in peace.  

*How Free Your Soul?

        It is safe to say that a soul who is not willing to leave this world will have more difficulty getting into heaven, while one who longs to go to God will have little trouble accomplishing it.

*Top-Priority Settling

        In Matthew 6, Jesus taught: "Do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?' Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides." Do you know that if you seek the kingdom of God first and get your eternal destiny settled, all such worries will vanish? It is settling one "worry" to kill all other worries. 

**Living Up to God's vision

        When we try to live up to our vision of ourselves, we invariably fail and get discouraged. Do you know that it is much easier for us to live up to God's vision of us? This is because when we desire the latter, the Lord takes over and makes us easily measure up to his vision of us.

Heart Makes the Difference

        As God speaks to our hearts, anyone with a hardened heart does not hear his voice. On the other hand, anyone with a completely pliable heart is eager to hear the Lord speak, letting him mold him into whatever shape for his great joy.

Joy of Being Home

        Communion experience. I was in my Father's house. There was no returning home, so there was no great celebration. Nevertheless, the joy of being home persisted.

**On Having God or Not

        Without Christ, it's not just you miss a little something – you miss everything, including your own life. Not accepting him is equivalent to throwing all you have, yourself included, into the garbage bin. I may sound extreme, but God is to be had all, not discarded one iota. With God, it is all or nothing. A God who does not "demand" this is unworthy of our respect.

*A Great Joy

        Today from Luke 15, we heard the Parable of the Prodigal Son again. I and many others agree that this has to be the most beautiful, moving parable of all the Gospels – it reveals the love and mercy of our Father for us – it is what Christianity is all about. When anyone who has strayed away and decides to return to the Father, the whole heaven rejoices. One whom the Father loves with an infinite love is now home safe ~ how could the Father not feel an infinite joy? For us on earth, there is also no greater joy than that of reuniting with our Father. How I pray and wish that all those who have strayed away from him know this!

*Whom to Live For?

        (1) We can live for ourselves. This should be instinctual, a no-brainer goal. But we'll never find inner peace in living self-centeredly.

       (2) We can live for another human being. This seems unnatural – why should the other person be elevated more than ourselves? This happens when we are mislead into believing that the other person is superior in some way.    

     (3) Then we can live for Christ, an extraordinary man who is also God. In following him, we are set free! We realize that he's the missing piece we'd needed all along. Now our life is fulfilled and complete, with absolutely the best part still to come. 

On Sinning

        A nonbeliever of God may have a better excuse for committing a sin than one who is known to be a believer. A believer who commits a sin, thinking that he is OK, commits a double sin. Even if you are heaven bound, every sin committed can only lengthen your time in purgatory. 

For Rapid Spiritual Progress

        God calls us in everything that happens to us. Let him draw us closer to him via every one of our experiences.  

*Letting God Astonish Us

        On this St. Patrick Day, the Gospel reading was taken from Luke 5 on how Jesus called Peter to become a fisher of men. First, Simon Peter and his partners, all fishermen, had worked hard all night and caught no fish. Jesus asked Simon to put out into deep water and lower their nets, and over their unbelief they caught so many fish that their nets were tearing and the catch filled two boats to the point that they were in danger of sinking. Astonishment seized all, and Peter fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." Letting God astonish us does us good, for we then realize that we are mere mortals compared to the everlasting Lord. A life lived in Christ is full of surprises if you believe that he has a hand in everything that happens to us. Furthermore, not knowing when the next surprise will be is going to add even more excitement to life.

Reality of Evil

        Today's Entrance comes from Psalm 31: In you, O Lord, I put my trust, let me never be put to shame, release me from the snare they have hidden for me, for you indeed are my refuge. It's the same story today ~ always someone trying to snare you, to put you to shame. Evil exists and is real! The blessing that comes out of this is we are made aware that we need God's help. 

*Soul's Beautiful Possession

        Faith is believing in something not yet visible. Believing that the sun rises every morning is no faith – it's kinda like loving someone who loves you does not really prove that you love your neighbor as yourself. Faith in God is believing that he loves you and has done the work of salvation for you. The sun may not rise tomorrow, but you can keep your faith in the loving God rock solid, unwavering. You know that God has given you the free will. By choosing to believe in him, your faith comes alive and meaningful. Now, your faith is the most beautiful possession of your soul.

**Ultimate Disbeliever

        The Lord only gave me this thought this morning, but it's a fitting final thought for the day. At Mass we heard the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus read from Luke 16. After Lazarus the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and went to the netherworld, where he suffered torment in flames. He saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out to Abraham, begging him to send Lazarus to his father's house to warn his five brothers lest they too should come the place of torment. Abraham replied, "They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them. If they will not, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead." Now, Jesus, the Son of God who is God and greater than Moses and all the prophets had already come to us himself. If you do not listen to him, you've got to be the ultimate disbeliever.

Lingering No More

        Communion experience. I was ready to go to Jesus since my existence in this world has been justified and fulfilled.

Jesus Speaking As God

        Today's Gospel reading at Mass came from Matthew 20. Jesus said to his disciples, "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Imagine any other human being saying that he is going to give his life as a ransom for many – that person would have to be either not understanding what he meant or out of his mind. Here I see Jesus speaking as God and our Savior. His later Resurrection is plenty sufficient to back him up on all he had ever said.

Best Relationship With God

        We need God, and God needs us, for he loves us. So there is going to be a relationship developed between God and us. It is clear that the best relationship we could possibly have with God is to be in intimate union with him as one. With God, always aim for the best.

*Love Foremost

        We should worship God, adore God, and praise God. The Lord showed me that he prefers to be loved the foremost, for in loving him, all the other actions follow. It seems that since God is love, the only way for us to be like him is to love him.

Soaring to God

        Communion experience. The soul was ready to soar. Give God your soul and your are heaven bound!

**Surrendering to God Is . . .

simply breaking free from Satan. We have only two choices: living with our sins or living with our sins removed, being enslaved by Satan or being free in God, to be doomed forever or to be saved for all eternity. Choosing God is making all the right choices.        

Egoism vs. Selflessness

        In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 23, Jesus, in denouncing the scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites, taught that "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." If your humility increasingly vanquishes your ego, you are on the right path spiritually. For fast progress, ask the Lord to take away your ego completely by surrendering yourself to him.